Sample shoe



Patented Mar. 29, 1938 UNITED 1 STATES PATENT OFFICE A sAMPLE SHOE l Richard J. Jewett, Brockton, Mass. Application November 27, 1935, serial No. 51,759

14 Claims.

My invention relates to the Vmanufacture of shoes and more especially to an improved form of sample shoe.

It is a practice of shoe manufacturers toobtain the styles embodied in theirshoes ,from specialists who are highly skilled in shoe design, the manufacturer selecting from many styles submitted those which appear to best t his needs. In submitting new styles of shoes to the manufacturer, the stylist provides patterns of the shoes, and especially of the shoe uppers which contain most of the distinctiveV features of the shoes, in many cases completely nished uppers being supplied which are pulled over lasts so that 15 the shoe may be seen in its completed shape or form. As each manufacturer usually has his own distinctive shapes of lasts, it is not entirely satisfactory to display the new designs on more or less standardized lasts, but in the iinal determination of the desirability of the new styles the manufacturer is put to the necessity of cutting and assembling the uppers and pulling them over his own lasts.

This method of displaying shoe styles is relatively expensive and results in a considerable amount of waste, and if the stylist is submitting the samples on lasts of his ownselectionit requires the transportation of heavy and bulky lasts,l

together with the possibility that the lasting tacks may be dislodged, permitting the uppers to Wrinkle or slip. I

The usual method of displaying sample shoes or pull overs requires the use of a last as a part thereof, and if the sole and heel or other parts of the shoe are added to the uppers these are usually secured in some manner to the last, thus preventing the withdrawal of the last from the shoe. As a result it is impossible to determine the weight or the shape which the shoe will assume when separated from the last.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a sample shoe, including an upper, which may be assembled on and which will adjust itself to t lasts of Varying shapes, without 45 the necessity of pulling the uppers over the lasts and securing them` thereto.

In a more specific aspect, it is an object of the invention to bring about a form of sample shoe which will not only accommodate itself to lasts 50 of Varying shapes and styles but which, when assembled thereon, will be free of undesirable wrinkles and other distracting imperfections.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sample shoe, and especially a shoe upper and 55, inner sole construction, which not only may be In the drawing, 10

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a sample shoe, according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a View of the under sider of the shoe shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig 2:

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but in perspective, and showing a modification; f

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but showing another modification, and 20 Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing still another modification.

Referring now to the drawing, in which I have illustrated my invention by showing some preferred embodiments of the same,` and with particular reference at present to Figs. 1, 2, and v3, the numeral IIJ indicates, in general, the improved form of sample shoe, which comprises an upper, prepared in accordance with usual processes and pulled over a last I2, of usual form and not shown herein in detail. The upper II may be lined if desired although in most cases the presence of the lining is not necessary since it does not enter into the visual effect of the shoe.

The upper II is pulled tightly about the last 35 I2, in usual manner, and the lower marginal edges I3, of the upper, are attached to the marginal edges III of an inner sole I5. In this instance the inner sole I5 is formed out of a sheet of elastic material, preferably sheet rubber, the 40 inner sole I5 extending substantially from the toe I6, of the upper, to the heel II thereof, and completely lling the opening I8 at the bottom of the upper between the marginal edges thereof. Preferably the marginal edges of the upper are cemented to the inner sole, although it is within the invention to secure the upper' to the inner sole in any desired manner.

The edges I9 and 20 of the upper II, at the heel and toe, may be folded in the usual manner or, as in this instance, they may be slashed to form openings 2l which are bridged by the elastic inner sole I5, thereby giving the sample shoe greater elasticity of movement and adjustment at the heel and toe so that it may more readily accommodate itself to the last at these points. In order to add to the elasticity of the sample shoe, and particularly the lower marginal edges thereof, the inner sole I5 may be made thinner at the heel and toe, as indicated at 22 and 23 of Fig. 3.

After the upper has been attached to the inner sole I5, the last may be withdrawn and the sample shoe is ready for use in connection with other lasts which may vary to a considerable extent in shape and size. When it is desired to display the shoe on theA individual lasts of a manufacturer, the upper with the inner sole attached thereto is drawn over these lasts, the inner sole yielding to permit the upper to accommodate' itself to the lasts. It will be noted that the inner sole may be placed under tension and may yield from end to end of the last as well as transversely thereof, thus drawing the upper tightly about the last in all directions. After the sample shoe has been assembled on any particular last, and the desirability of the style embodied therein has been demonstrated, it is a matter of routinev manufacture to assemble a sole and heel thereon.

For example, an outer sole may be attached to the upper according to the usual practices in making cemented shoes, in which case the inturned edges of the upper may be roughened to receive the cement. Any other suitable method may be used but as the attachment of the sole and heel Will Suggest itself to anyone skilled in the art and does not form a part of the invention, it is not shown or described herein in detail.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings there is shown a modification in which the usual seam, at the heel of the upper, is replaced by an insert 24 of elastic material which may be-a part of the inner sole 25 or a separate element attached thereto. Although this insert is not necessary in the ordinary practice of the invention it will be found useful in certain instances in order to give addedy elasticity to the upper as a whole and to assist in drawing the latter tightly about the last on which it is assembled. The inner sole 25, of this form of theinvention, is substantially the same as that of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the toe 26 and the heel 21 of the marginal lower edges of the upper being in this case folded in usual manner before being attached to the inner sole 25.

In Fig. 5 there is shown another modification differing from that shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,`

"principally in that the inner sole 28 of elastic be readily understood that one of the rows of material is slit or otherwise opened at 29, from av point 30 adjacent the toe to a point 3l adjacent the heel, a slide fastener 32, of usual construction, being secured within the opening. It will fastening elements is secured to the inner sole 28 at one of the edges of the opening 29, while the other row of fastening elements is secured to the inner sole at the other edge of the opening. The details of the slide fastener are not shown herein as these devices are well known in the art. When it is desired to assemble this form of the invention upon a last, the slide 33 is moved to one or the other of the ends of the opening 29 to disconnect the fastening elements. The inner sole is thus opened substantially from end to end, and the upper may spread apart so that the last may be freely inserted within the upper, whereupon the slide 33 may be moved to bring the fastening elements into locking engagement, thus bringing the inner sole under tension to draw the upper into tight engagement with the last.

In Fig. 6 still another modification of the invention* is shown.' In 'this'nstance the centralv part of the inner sole is cut away for the insertion of a strip of leather or other relatively smooth preferably non-elastic material 34, the opening 35, formed in the inner sole 36, having edges spaced from and generally parallel to the lower edges of the upper, the insert 34 extending substantially from the toe 31 to the heel 38, of the inner sole. The meeting edges of the insert 34 and the inner sole 36 are sewed or otherwise secured together. The purpose of the insert is to reduce the frictional contact of the last and innerv sole 'during the insertion of a last, the latter sliding freely over the insert, whereas in some cases there is a tendency for the sheet rubber, of which the inner sole is preferably formed, to cling to the last bottom. It will be noted that the insert is surrounded by the elastic inner sole so that the upper will be drawn into contact with the last about the entire peripheral surface of the latter.

From the above description of the several embodiments of the invention it will be readily understood that the elastic inner soles, forming a part of the invention, do not serve to prevent the bottom of the shoe from spreading, as is the function of the usual inelastic inner sole. On the contrary the upper may adjust itself in any direction necessary to fit an individual last, the inner sole stretching or contracting to bring the upper into tight engagement with the last. It will also be noted that neither the upper nor the inner sole are attached in any manner to the last so that the latter may be freely withdrawn at all times. At thersame time the constructional details of the upper and the inner sole are such that an outer sole and heel may be assembled on the upper in accordance with usual manufacturing methods.

By these means the uppers may be assembled together with the inner soles and presented to a manufacturer for inspection on his own lasts and, if desired, may be finished into a complete shoe, from which the last may be readily withdrawn if necessary. In any event, whether used in the assembly of complete shoes or used in the manufacture of simple pull-overs, it will be apparent that the invention provides an arrangement wherein the usual pulling over and tacking steps of shoe making are avoided and greatly simplified and the fitting of the uppers to the lasts effected in a simple manner.

While I have shown and described some preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

' What I claim is:

l. A sample shoe comprising, an upper adapted to be assembled on a last, the lower marginal edge portions of the upper being turned inwardly over the bottom of the last, and an inner sole of elastic yieldable material fillingthe opening formed at the last bottom between the marginal edges of the upper, the inner sole at its marginal edges being attached to the inwardly turned marginal edge'portions of the upper.

2. A sample shoe comprising, an upper adapted to be assembled on a last, and an inner sole of elastic yieldablesheet material closing the opening formed at the last bottom, said inner sole being attached to the lower edges of the upper about the entire lower peripheral edge of the latter.

3. A sample shoe comprising, an upper adapted to be assembled on a last, the lower vmarginal edge portions of the upper being turned inwardly over the bottom oi the last, an inner sole of elastic yieldable material attached to the lower marginal edges of the upper at the heel and toe and along the sides thereof, there being an opening in the inner sole wholly within the marginal edges thereof to permit the free assembly of the upper together with the inner sole upon the last and means for closing the opening after assembly oi the shoe upon the last.

4. A sample shoe comprising, an upper adapted to be assembled on a last, and means at the shoe bottom and associated with the lower marginal edges of the upper adapted' to yieldingly pull the entire lower marginal edge portions of the upper inwardly across the bottom of the last to urge the upper intoI tight engagement with the last about the entire peripheral surface thereof.

5. A sample shoe comprising, an upper adapted to be assembled on a last, an inner sole formed out of elastic sheet material and closing the opening formed at the last bottom between the lower marginal edges of the upper, the inner sole being slit along a median line thereof, and a slide fastener attached to the inner sole and adapted to close said slit.

6. A sample shoe adapted to be assembled on lasts of varying sizes and shapes comprising an upper, the lower marginal edges of the upper being turned inwardly over` the last bottoms and means associated with the marginal edges of the upper at the bottom of the shoe adapted to yieldingly pull a variable amount of the inwardly turned marginal edges of the upper across the bottoms of the lasts at the heel and toe and along the sides thereof to cause the upper to nt the particular last on which it is assembled.

7. A sample shoe comprising, an upper adapted to be assembled on a last, the lower marginal edges of the upper being turned inwardly over the last bottom, and an inner sole attached to the marginal edges of the upper at the heel and toe and along the sides, the inner sole comprising a single sheet of yieldable elastic sheet material.

8. A sample shoe comprising, an upper adapted to be assembled on a last, the lower marginal edges of the upper being turned inwardly over the last bottom, and an inner sole attached to the marginal edges of the upper at the heel and toe and along the sides, the inner sole comprising a single sheet of yieldable elastic sheet material, the inner sole being of less thickness at the heel and toe than along the sides thereof.

9. A sample shoe comprising, an upper adapted to be assembled on a last, the lower marginal edges of the upper being turned inwardly over the last bottom and an inner sole formed out of a single piece of yieldable elastic sheet material, the inner sole closing the opening formed at the last bottom between the marginal edges or the upper, the inner sole being attached to the marginal edges of the upper about the entire lower peripheral edge thereof.

10. The combination in a shoe of a flexible but substantially inelastic upper and an elastic yieldable shoe bottom adapted to yield lengthwise and transversely of the shoe to t the upper to a last assembled therein.

1l. The combination in a shoe having an upper of leather or other substantially inelastic material, the lower marginal edges of which are to be pulled over a last bottom, of means associated with the lower marginal edges of the upper for yieldingly pulling the marginal edges of the upper across the bottom of the last as the latter is assembled in the upper.

12. 'I'he combination in a sample shoe of an upper of leather or other substantially inelastic material and an elastic yieldable inner sole attached to the upper, the inner sole prior to assembly on a last being of smaller size than normal for the specic last and being stretched by the upper upon assembly of the shoe on the last to place the lower edges of the upper under tension to draw the upper into contact with the last.

13. A sample shoe comprising, an upper of leather or other substantially inelastic material adapted to be assembled on a last, and yieldable means attached toy the upper at the bottom edges thereof adapted to be placed under tension by insertion of the last into the upper to draw the toe, heel and sides of the upper into tight engagement with the last.

14. A sample shoe comprising, an upper of leather or other substantially inelastic material adapted to be assembled on a last, and elast-ic means shaped to the shoe bottom and attached to the lower marginal edges of the upper to place the upper, when assembled on the last, under tension lengthwise and transversely of the shoe to pull the upper into contact with the peripheral surface of the last.

RICHARD J. JEWETT. 

